Mark Carney's Liberal Party is projected to have won Monday's federal election in Canada, according to local media, after a hard-fought election campaign that was dominated by the country's trade dispute with its North American neighbor and the interventions of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Reports from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) showed the Liberal Party was on course for victory as results began to pour in late on Monday evening, though it remains unclear whether the incumbent prime minister Carney has secured an outright parliamentary majority.
Carney had only taken over from predecessor Justin Trudeau last month and subsequently triggered an election race that came against the backdrop of strained relations with the U.S., global economic turmoil, and a domestic cost of living crisis in Canada.
The opposition Conservative Party, headed by Pierre Poilievre, had largely been ahead in the polls until Trudeau's resignation, with some analysts believing comments made by President Trump had in fact caused a spike in support for the incumbent Liberal Party, who have governed since 2015.
Repeating remarks he has frequently made referring to Canada as the "51st state" of the U.S., Trump again waded in on social media on Monday, telling Canadians to "vote for the man" who would make their country part of the United States.
Trump's repeated threats about Canadian sovereignty, along with the heavy tariffs imposed on the country, became hot topics during the 36-day campaign.
Outside polling stations on Monday, Canadian voters acknowledged the multitude of challenges facing the country, including rising prices, deteriorating public security, and a housing crisis.
However, the question of how the main candidates would deal with the U.S. appeared to the number one issue, with voters hoping the new leader would show strength in confronting the Trump administration over its tariffs and stand up to defend Canada’s sovereignty.
"I think we need to take that seriously. It's time for Canada to kind of come together and prove who we are," said a young voter.
"Whoever gets elected better be strong because I'm not becoming the 51st state," said an elderly resident.
Though Carney has declared victory, the finals result might not be known for some time and could depend on the westernmost province of British Columbia, where polls were the last to close.
In order win a majority, the Liberals need to win 172 of the 343 electoral districts, known as seats, in the House of Commons that would enable them to govern without the need to rely on support from a smaller party.
Mark Carney's Liberal Party wins Canada election: local media
Refugees in the Gaza Strip are anxiously awaiting more truckloads of aid, goods, and basic supplies after the Israeli government on Sunday permitted a limited number of deliveries into the territory, following two and a half months of border closure that blocked humanitarian assistance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday a decision to lift the blockade on Gaza to allow the entry of limited aid, as international criticism mounts over the severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
In a statement, Netanyahu's office said Israel will allow the entry of a "basic" quantity of food for the Gaza population to prevent a hunger crisis.
However, only five of the nine aid trucks approved for entry on Monday were able to cross into the Gaza Strip, carrying items such as nutritional supplements for children and other basic necessities.
Aid organizations are awaiting the arrival of flour, which has been critically scarce throughout Gaza. An estimated 100 trucks are expected to enter in the coming hours, but this remains far below the urgent need.
The Palestinians want more aid to enter as the situation is aggravation and their conditions are getting worse and worse by time, with Israel continuing its airstrike bombardments across the Gaza Strip.
"Instead of five trucks, 500 are needed to provide sufficient food for the Gaza Strip. Most people's health has deteriorated, they can barely survive. We want essential supplies like flour, rice and cooking oil to enter, without being tied to political conditions," said Iyad Hamad, a Palestinian refugee.
"Not even 30 trucks are enough, especially since everyone has kids, as for me, I have 10 family members. If they're going to distribute one kilo for each person it won't be enough. For the past three months, our entire family has been surviving on just one kilo of pasta per day, and if we're lucky, we can get somehow a bit of rice once a week. We've become beggars, almost picking up whatever we can find on the ground just to eat. The situation is truly tragic," said Moein Abu Harbid, another Palestinian refugee.
Another Palestinian refugee described the situation as catastrophic, saying food and essentials are so scarce that aid trucks have no meaningful impact on their desperate needs.
"None of us can find anything to eat. The five trucks that arrived won't even make a dent in the shortage, they might as well not come at all. Gaza needs at least 100,000 trucks to meet people's demand for just eating. We're living a catastrophe, there's no food, no water, no work, nothing to make us feel alive. We might as well count as dead," said Ahmed Fathi, a Palestinian refugee.
On Monday, 22 foreign ministers -- including those from France, Germany, Spain, Canada, and Australia -- issued a joint statement urging Israel to immediately allow the full resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza and to enable the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to operate independently and impartially.
The statement conveyed two clear messages to the Israeli government: first, a call for the complete restoration of aid access to the Gaza Strip; and second, a demand that the UN and humanitarian agencies be permitted to carry out their life-saving work with neutrality, in order to alleviate suffering and uphold human dignity.
UN agencies have reported worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza since the blockade was imposed on March 2. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported earlier in May that about 93 percent of Gaza's population was experiencing food insecurity, ranging from crisis to catastrophe levels.
Limited aid trucks allowed into Gaza fall short of urgent humanitarian needs
